In surface mount systems, individual terminals of a surface mounted electrical connector are interconnected to contact pads or circuit traces on a printed circuit board, normally by reflow soldering tail portions of the terminals to the conductive pads on the surface of the circuit board or in holes in the board. Fastening means are provided for securing a housing of the connector to the circuit board to afford strain relief to prevent inadequate engagement of the terminals with the board, breaking of the solder interfaces between the terminals and the board, and/or inadequate engagement of the terminals with mating terminals of another complementary connector mated to the surface mount connector. Such means often are called "boardlocks" projecting from a lower circuit board engaging face of the housing into holes in the circuit board. Boardlocks may be provided in a variety of schemes, ranging from mounting pegs molded integrally with the connector housing to separate boardlock devices, usually of metal, mounted on the housing.
The continuing trend toward high density circuitry has resulted in increasing miniaturization and complexity of integrated circuit components, including surface mount connectors of the character described above. The connectors, themselves, have become extremely miniaturized so that cost and board real estate are effectively optimized.
When the electrical connector housing is used for mounting a plurality of terminals, usually within through passages in the housing, as well as mounting one or more boardlock devices, the housing often is unnecessarily large to accommodate mounting of the boardlock devices. For instance, if the housing has a particular rectangular configuration for mounting a plurality of terminals in passages therethrough, the housing must be enlarged to also accommodate mounting of the boardlock devices. The enlarged housing consumes valuable board real estate.
In addition, it often is desirable to top load the terminals into a plurality of terminal-receiving passages in an upper face of the housing in a gang-loading operation. Preferably, for space-saving purposes, the terminal passages would consume substantially the entire upper face of the connector housing. When separate boardlock devices are used, not only must the housing be enlarged, but secondary operations must be employed for inserting the boardlock devices. There usually is insufficient space at the top of the housing for simultaneously inserting both the terminals and the boardlock devices. Of course, mounting pegs molded integrally with the housing takes up space on the circuit board which otherwise could be used for additional high density circuit traces.
This invention is directed to solving the above myriad of problems, particularly in high density miniaturized electrical connectors, by providing a boardlock system which is made functional from a side of the connector housing and, thereby, does not take up valuable space in the upper face of the housing which receives the terminals and also does not interfere with mass top loading of the terminals into the housing.